ISTANBUL

China on Tuesday called on the US to “stop meddling” in Tibet-related issues.

Washington is in "no position to point fingers at China," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference in Beijing.

Beijing called on the US to be “fully cognizant of the importance and sensitivity of Xizang-related issues, see clearly the anti-China separatist nature of the Dalai group, and honor the commitments the US has made to China on issues related to Xizang,” Mao said, using a Chinese word for the region.

She also demanded the US “stop meddling in those issues and stop sending any wrong signals in any form to Tibet independence forces.”

Beijing’s comments came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wished the Dalai Lama a happy birthday on Saturday via X.

“The Dalai Lama continues to inspire with his message of unity, peace, and compassion,” wrote Rubio.

Mao reiterated that Tibetan affairs are “purely China’s internal affairs,” which “brook no external interference,” emphasizing that the current Dalai Lama is “not a purely religious figure, but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion.”

She added that the Dalai Lama and the “so-called ‘Xizang government-in-exile’ are in no position to represent the people of Xizang, still less to decide the future of Xizang.”

In 1951, China established control over Tibet, describing it as a “peaceful liberation.”

After a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala in northern India, where he established the Tibetan parliament and government-in-exile.

China does not recognize this government, maintaining that Tibet has been part of China since the 13th century. The Dalai Lama, however, asserts that Tibet was an entirely independent state when the Chinese People's Liberation Army entered the region.